Adjacent Words

Broom definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BROOM,n.
1. A plant of several species, called dyer's weed, being used by dyers to give a yellow color,dyer's broom, green wood, or wood waxen, dwarf broom, all belonging to the genus Genista. Broom rape is Orobanche, and with large purple flowers, Lathroea.
Spanish Broom is a species of Spartium, and Butcher's broom is the Ruscus.
2. A besom, or brush with a long handle for sweeping floors; so called from being originally made of the broom-plant. In America, brooms are made of the tops of broom-corn, or of some species of wood splintered, chiefly ash. The latter species of broom is furnished by the natives of the country. The original broom, made of shrubs or twigs, is still used in stables.
BROOM. [See Bream.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a cleaning implement for sweeping; bundle of straws or twigs attached to a long handle
2: any of various shrubs of the genera Cytisus or Genista or Spartium having long slender branches and racemes of yellow flowers
3: common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere [syn: heather, ling, Scots heather, broom, Calluna vulgaris] v
1: sweep with a broom or as if with a broom; "Sweep the crumbs off the table"; "Sweep under the bed" [syn: sweep, broom]
2: finish with a broom

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English br?m; akin to Old High German br?mo bramble Date: before 12th century 1. any of various leguminous shrubs (especially genera Cytisus and Genista) with long slender branches, small leaves, and usually showy yellow flowers; especially Scotch broom 2. a bundle of firm stiff twigs or fibers bound together on a long handle especially for sweeping II. transitive verb Date: 1838 1. to sweep with or as if with a broom 2. to finish (as a concrete surface) by means of a broom

Britannica Concise

In botany, any of several leguminous shrubs or small trees of the genus Cytisus, native to temperate regions of Europe and W Asia. They are cultivated widely, chiefly for their attractive flowers. The compound leaves have three leaflets. The solitary or clustered yellow, purple, or white flowers resemble pea flowers. The fruit is a flat pod. A common, almost leafless species is C. scoparius, a shrub with bright yellow flowers often grown for erosion control in warm climates. Butcher's broom (Ruscus aculeatus) is a shrub of the lily family with small whitish flowers and red berries.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a long-handled brush of bristles, twigs, etc. for sweeping (orig. one made of twigs of broom). 2 any of various shrubs, esp. Cytisus scoparius bearing bright yellow flowers. Phrases and idioms: new broom a newly appointed person eager to make changes. Etymology: OE brom

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Broom Broom, v. t. (Naut.) See Bream.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Broom Broom, n. [OE. brom, brome, AS. br[=o]m; akin to LG. bram, D. brem, OHG. br[=a]mo broom, thorn?bush, G. brombeere blackberry. Cf. Bramble, n.] 1. (Bot.) A plant having twigs suitable for making brooms to sweep with when bound together; esp., the Cytisus scoparius of Western Europe, which is a low shrub with long, straight, green, angular branches, minute leaves, and large yellow flowers. No gypsy cowered o'er fires of furze and broom. --Wordsworth. 2. An implement for sweeping floors, etc., commonly made of the panicles or tops of broom corn, bound together or attached to a long wooden handle; -- so called because originally made of the twigs of the broom. Butcher's broom, a plant (Ruscus aculeatus) of the Smilax family, used by butchers for brooms to sweep their blocks; -- called also knee holly. See Cladophyll. Dyer's broom, a species of mignonette (Reseda luteola), used for dyeing yellow; dyer's weed; dyer's rocket. Spanish broom. See under Spanish.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(brooms) 1. A broom is a kind of brush with a long handle. You use a broom for sweeping the floor. N-COUNT 2. Broom is a wild bush with a lot of tiny yellow flowers.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

broom: Occurs in 1Ki 19:4 m ("broomtree"); Job 30:4, and Ps 120:4 m as the translation of the Hebrew rothem, where the King James Version employed "juniper" which is retained in the Revised Version (British and American) text in 1Ki 19:4 and Job 30:4. Juniper is certainly incorrect and broom is not a particularly happy rendering. The rothem was doubtless the shrub called by the Arabs ratam, a shrub which casts so little shadow that it would be used for shade only when there was no other refuge from the desert sun, and would be eaten only in case of the direst necessity, but which could be burned and used for the making of charcoal.

See JUNIPER.

David Foster Estes

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Besom.

Moby Thesaurus

autoclave, brush, carpet sweeper, comb, currycomb, dishcloth, dishwasher, doormat, duster, dustpan, facecloth, hackle, hairbrush, handkerchief, holystone, hose, mop, napkin, pumice stone, rake, scraper, scrub brush, scrubber, serviette, sponge, sudarium, swab, toothbrush, toothpick, towel, vacuum cleaner, washboard, washer, washing machine, whisk, wisp, wringer